According to state-supported media, Iran will hold onto five US hostages until a “ransom” payment of almost $6 billion is received in the regime’s bank accounts.
According to Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy chief of staff for political affairs to Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi and a source, South Korean officials are releasing billions of sanctioned oil assets held by their country to the accounts, but US prisoners won’t be released until they have received the funds.
The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic acknowledged on Friday that prisoners sought by the United States are still in Iran, acknowledging the commencement of transfers.
The State Department did not respond immediately to a comment request.
The Iranian government is already receiving billions in sanctioned oil assets from South Korea, as reported by Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy chief of staff for political affairs to Iran’s president.
AP: A mural of American hostages and wrongful detainees covers the door as a woman walks through it.
The American hostages were relocated to their homes by officials in Tehran on Thursday, as part of an agreement that will reportedly release several Iranians from US prisons and allow the regime to use its unfrozen funds for humanitarian causes through a Qatari account.
Despite this, a prominent member of Iran’s nuclear negotiation team posted on the internet that Tehran would have unrestricted and direct access to Iranian assets.
On X, Twitter user Seyed Mohammad Marandi declared that Iranian banks would have unchallenged and could purchase goods and services without any restrictions, while Qatari companies would not be involved.
On Thursday, Iranian authorities in Tehran agreed to put Morad Tahbaz, an American hostage, under house arrest as part of an agreement with the US.
The deal was praised by Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, who also acknowledged that negotiations regarding US citizens in Iran are still ongoing and delicate.
She stated on Thursday that they would closely monitor their condition and not rest until they are all safe and sound in the United States.
On Thursday, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, stated that this is just the beginning of a process that will ultimately lead to their safe return home to the United States. He also noted that there is still work to be done to bring them back home, and he believes it could finally be the end of their nightmare.
On Thursday, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, mentioned that this is just the beginning of a process that will ultimately lead to their return home to the United States.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, criticized President Biden for authorizing “the largest ransom payment in American history to the Mullahs in Tehran.”
The post stated that Iran will now use the money to produce drones for Russia and finance terrorism against us and Israel.
The deal was criticized by Trump administration figures, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security adviser John Bolton.
Getty Images: Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized President Biden for authorizing “the largest ransom payment in American history to the Mullahs in Tehran.”
Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, and Morad Tahbaz, along with two other unnamed individuals, were among the American hostages.
In 2015, Namazi was apprehended by Iranian authorities for purportedly cooperating with the US as head of strategic planning at Crescent Petroleum in Dubai. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after his arrest.
The move from Evin Prison in Tehran to house arrest is viewed as the beginning of the end by Namazi’s pro bono attorney, Jared Genser, who cautioned that there are no guarantees about future outcomes.
Until regime bank accounts receive almost $6 billion in payments, critics have accused Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi of holding back five US hostages until they can leave.
The Post reported that Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrad, chair of the Organization of Iranian American Communities Advisory Board, stated that while it is always appreciated to release hostages, they should not have been detained or used as bargaining chips. Offering hostage-taking for any reason only results in more victims and helps sustain Tehran’s hostility policy.
As the anniversary of the 2002 nationwide uprising draws near, she stressed that showing respect for the tyrants ruling Iran would only intensify their terror machines both at home and abroad.